How cool is this? Roy Bostock, whom I worked with on a couple of new business pitches way back when, has made a very interesting choice to turn around Yahoo. An older woman
Of course the critics are out in force already stating that she does not have internet experience and that she is a “safe choice.” Which is it, boys? You can’t lack relevant experience and be a safe choice.
1/15/09 – Yahoo Inc. named former Autodesk chief executive Carol Bartz as its new leader Tuesday, betting on her combination of technology experience and blunt style to revive the struggling Internet giant. Bartz replaces co-founder Jerry Yang, who said in November that he would step down after a tumultuous 17 months at the helm.
Bartz faces the immediate challenge of turning around the once-mighty Sunnyvale company, which has fallen on hard times after a series of high-profile missteps. Yahoo is suffering from slowing growth and stiff competition from Google Inc. Many investors are still fuming over a failed $47.5 billion takeover bid by Microsoft Corp. last year and are pressuring Yahoo to sell its search business.
Roy Bostock, Yahoo’s chairman, called Bartz a seasoned technology executive with an impeccable track record. He said that she is a decisive leader who knows how to motivate people, citing two qualities Yang lacked, according to Yang’s critics.
Bartz, 60, led Autodesk, a San Rafael company that makes computer design and imaging software, for 14 years. Its annual revenue grew five-fold by the time she stepped down in 2006, while its share price increased 10-fold during her tenure. Before Autodesk, Bartz was at Sun Microsystems, serving in her final post there as vice president of worldwide field operations. She’s also worked at Digital Equipment Corp. and 3M Corp.
Bartz is chairwoman of Autodesk. She’s also on the board of Cisco Systems, alongside Yang, in addition to serving on the boards of Intel Corp. and NetApp.
Yahoo's New CEO
